Do you have an old vintage silver serving tray that you just don’t use – no need to master the art of afternoon tea – you can Upcycle it as a unique piece of wall decor.
This guide was written by Rachel Grey of Bramble & Berries.
Materials Needed – Decoupaged Vintage Tray Wall Art:
- Vintage Tray
- Patina Antiquing Fluid Solution
- Old Toothbrush
- Gloves should be worn. Naughty me didn’t!
- Microfibre Cloth
- Old Towel
- Soapy Water
- Gold Gilding Wax
- Small Paint Brush
- Floral Paper or motif of your choice (this can be old wrapping paper, cut from a magazine, or decoupage paper)
- PVA Glue
- Varnish (Polyvine)
- Chalk Paint (Green)
- Spray Paint (Black)
- Sponge
- Decoupage Brush
- Chain
- Pliers
You’ll find a printable set of instructions at the end of this post.
Jump to the printable instructions.
Step 1: Antiquing Fluid
Lay newspaper down to protect surfaces and wear protective gloves.
Using an old toothbrush dip into the antiquing fluid and gently brush over the silver tray to give an aged effect.
Step 2: Wash
Wash tray in soapy water and rinse well. Using an old towel dry the tray.
Then use a microfibre cloth to buff.
Step 3: Gold Gilding Wax
Use a cloth or paint brush to add your gold gilding wax to the ornate areas, a little goes a long way so use sparingly.
Use a soft Microfibre cloth to buff up the gold gilding.
Step 4: Prepare Your Decoration
Cut out your floral paper and place where you think the design would look good, once happy turn the paper over and add PVA Glue using a decoupage brush or old paint brush.
Step 5: Green Paint!
Green Paint 
Using a sponge
Once your design has dried, cut up a sponge and start to dab your green paint around the floral details.
Step 6: Varnish
Once your paint is dry and you are happy with the end results, varnish your tray to seal in your paint and decoupaged flowers.
Step 7: Preparing & Adding the Chain
I spray painted the length of my chain using Montana Gold brand in Jet Black.
Once the chain had completely dried I attached the chain using pliers to clasp together the rings around the tray.
Finished Upcycled Vintage Tray Wall Art
Printable Instructions
How to Upcycle a Vintage Serving Tray Using Decoupage
Materials
- Vintage Tray
- Patina Antiquing Fluid Solution
- Gloves
- Gold Gilding Wax
- Floral Paper or motif of your choice (this can be old wrapping paper, cut from a magazine, or decoupage paper)
- PVA Glue
- Varnish (Polyvine)
- Chalk Paint (Green)
- Chain
Tools
- Decoupage Brush
- Pliers
- Microfibre Cloth
- Old Toothbrush
- Sponge
Instructions
- Use an old toothbrush to apply antiquing fluid across your tray.
- Wash your tray with soapy water and dry with an old towel before the next step.
- Buff with a microfibre cloth
- Using a small brush apply gold gilding wax to the decorative ornate areas of the tray.
- Cut out motifs in craft paper for your decoration and apply with PVC glue
- Once dry, use a small sponge to dap green paint around the edges of your decoupaged motifs
- Once your paint is dry, varnish the whole tray to seal in your work.
- Attach hanging chain
If you liked it, Pin it to your Upcycling or Decoupage board!
This Guide was written by Rachel Grey of Bramble & Berries .
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brambleandberries
Instagram: @brambleandberries
Want to upcycle some more vintage kitchen items?
Check out our DIY Kitchen Makeover Ideas for inspiration.
For more great DIY wall art ideas try these:
DIY Kitchen Makeover Upcycle Ideas - 21 Ideas to Try - Upcycle My Stuff
Tuesday 19th of November 2019
[…] bit more explaining. Thankfully the lovely Rachel Gray from Bramble and Berries has written us up a tutorial on how to turn an old unused vintage silver tray into an original piece of wall art to finish off […]
Upcycling A to Z - Upcycle My Stuff
Monday 11th of November 2019
[…] S is for Serving Tray because frankly no one uses these as serving trays anymore. We like the look of a whole bunch of vintage serving trays displayed on a wall, similar to the suggestion about your mismatched dish plates earlier in the alphabet, but we also have a How to Guide from Bramble & Berries about how to use paint and decoupage to create a unique piece of wall art out of just one serving tray. You can check it out here. […]